Sweet And Savory

Combining sweet and savory flavors in one of my favorite ways to play with food. Last weekend I made a pound cake using the flavors of fresh lemon and lavender and the results were better than I expected. I am certainly no pastry chef but I enjoy baking for home use. So, since I was so pleased with this recipe I thought I'd share it with you all. Hopefully in the future I can post more recipes with sweet and savory combinations.

The cake is incredibly simple to make. The only difficult task may be coming up with a substantial amount of lavender for a reasonable price if you don't grow it yourself. I obtained the lavender through my work but you may be able to buy some at your local farmers market or order it online.

For the cake:
1 cup butter
2 cup sugar
5 eggs
2 1/4 cup flour
6 tablespoon corn starch
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup sour cream (or plain yogurt)
1 1/2 tablespoon lavender
Juice and zest of 2 lemons

Start by creaming the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Beat in the eggs one at a time at a slow speed. In a separate bowl combine all dry ingredients except lavender flowers. Now, begin alternately adding dry ingredients and sour cream to the butter/sugar/egg mixture. Make sure you scape your bowl a lot, especially if you're using a stand mixer as the paddle will never completely get to the bottom of the bowl.

Finally, fold in the lemon zest/juice and the lavender flowers. You will see from my pictures that I used the lavender flowers whole. After making the cake for the first time I have decided the flavors are a bit overwhelming so I would reccomend that you grind the flowers using a food processor or electric chopper of some sort before adding them. Bake the cake in a VERY WELL GREASED bundt pan. My bundt is well seasoned and I've never had a cake stick but this cake did. Bake in a 325 degree oven for about 50-60 minutes or until a pick inserted comes out clean.

I also made a lavender simple syrup glaze for the cake to add moisture and a more intense lavender flavor. I made the syrup by steeping 2 tablespoons of lavender and half a lemon in 1 cup of boiling water and then straining the flowers out. I then brought the water back to a boil and dissolved one cup of white sugar into the water.

To serve, I poured a bit of the syrup on the bottom of the serving plate and sat the cake in it. I then drizzled a bit of the syrup over the cake. The results were an incredibly bright flavored and very moist cake. It was a huge hit at the Bed and Breakfast where I served it. Hope you enjoy.